Luke Fickell Fights Back Emotions Talking About Senior QB's Final Game
Luke Fickell clearly holds Wisconsin QB Tanner Mordecai in high regard.
Mordecai played his final college football game Monday in a devastating 35-31 loss to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The sixth-year senior finished the game with 378 passing yards and three touchdowns on 27/40 passing, but his heroics just weren't enough to put the Badgers over the hump.
So close, but yet, so far away at the same time. As I tweeted after the game, welcome to life as a Badger.
While Mordecai didn't end his college career with a win, there's no doubt at all there's at least one person he won over in his one season in Madison:
Tanner Mordecai played his final college game Monday in a loss to LSU. Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell has high praise for the QB. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Luke Fickell praises Tanner Mordecai after LSU loss.
While a coach praising a player is definitely not unusual or special, Fickell appeared visibly emotional while talking about Mordecai.
"I don't think you can say enough about that kid. I mean, everyone's programs…you know, in this time it's tough. To have guys who stick things out, to have a guy some would say come in and rent it, there's no rent in that guy. There was never a hesitation in what he wanted to do and what he was going to do. That was a guy who played on a broken hand after three and a half or four weeks," the Badgers head coach explained with passion and emotion in his voice.
Fickell added "there was never a hesitation" about whether or not Mordecai would play against LSU in an era where opting out for the draft is a very sexy thing to do.
Check out his full comments below, and definitely send me your reaction at David.Hookstead@outkick.com if you're a Wisconsin fan.
That's a coach who absolutely loves his player. There's really no other way to sum it up. Coaches have lots of players to look after. Rosters can be 100+ players between scholarship players and walk-ons.
I'm also very curious as to who the "buddy" Fickell vowed to call to get Tanner Mordecai into the NFL is. It's not a secret Titans coach Mike Vrabel and Fickell go way back as close friends after attending Ohio State together.
Mordecai to the Titans? I'm honestly not sure who else Fickell could be talking about.
It's a shame Mordecai's career didn't end on a high note, but he damn sure won over a lot of fans and Fickell along the way. Best of luck to him moving forward.